Science Careers Blog

April 28, 2011

NIH Panel to Examine What's Ahead for the Biomed Labor Force

Inside Higher Edreports that the National Institutes of Health yesterday announced a new panel to study the "future of the biomedical research workforce." The group appears to be looking at some of the right questions, such as the size of the workforce and the types of positions that would allow people to advance their careers as they advance science. As Inside Higher Ed notes, however, it is "dominated by academic researchers and administrators," who may, consciously or unconcsiously, have vested interests in the current pyramid system of training. It includes one expert in careers and technology, but none of the researchers who have long studied the arrangements that have created the current career crisis for young scientists.

To see what a difference the composition of a panel can make, check out two reports on science workforce originally published in the same year (2005), the highly publicized Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which popularized the idea of a scientist shortage, and the much more realistic and lesser knownBridges to Independence, which objectively examined the causes of the glut.

About this Blog

Get frequent updates from the science-career trenches including advice, opinion, news, funding opportunities, and links to other career-related resources. Our bloggers include Science Careers editors and staff, and select outsiders, including:

Jim Austin, Editor of Science Careers, @SciCareerEditor on Twitter

Elisabeth Pain, Barcelona-based Contributing Editor

Donisha Adams, Science Careers Publications Assistant

Our guest bloggers include:

Dan Albert MD, MS, Founding Director, UW McPherson Eye Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin.